And perhaps of the three premiership cups ever won, the most valued, the most appreciated, the most cherished, will be the third, the one clinched with a 38-point runaway win over Collingwood. Why? Well, there are a lot of reasons.

Twelve months ago, the coach and the team's greatest player walked out of the club for supposed greener pastures. They thought the Cats had run their race, as noble as it had been, and when they exited, an expectation of decline echoed across the country.

Advertisement

They were too old, the new coach was a novice, they couldn't change their high handballing ways to escape this new-found forward press and their forward line was in ruin. With Ablett gone, they were immediately 70 goals shy of what he kicked and created. Tom Hawkins was nothing more than a good ordinary player who had survived only through the talent that surrounded him and a bold soon-to-turn 30-year-old in just his second season of AFL nicknamed the J-Pod was now expected to be the great white hope up forward, as Cam Mooney had become a fast fading force. Good luck, most thought.

Through an experienced defence and a super-talented midfield, the expectation was that these old Cats would win even more games than they would lose, but the golden era was gone and a slow decline was set to start. At the business end of the season, it would be the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn who would prevail. Well, we were wrong.

Being written off didn't sit well with the proud men at Skilled Stadium. They were not a two-man team and there was quite a steely resolve to prove the doubters wrong. It burnt inside for 12 months and Jimmy Bartel, when he accepted his Norm Smith Medal, couldn't contain it any longer.

In his modest manner he let it be known that those who had ''written them off'' had got it so badly wrong. The satisfaction was sweet.

It has been an absolute pleasure to watch Geelong play over the past five seasons. On Saturday, I was at the MCG, but didn't once look out of the field. Instead, I sat in a small studio with a big TV and the company of one person, Malcolm Blight. There are also memories I take with me.

Travis Varcoe's two early goals were so important for a player who runs high on confidence. Both were gifted by unselfish assists from Joel Selwood and Steve Johnson. Mathew Stokes's deft tap that set up Stevie J for his first goal was typical of the selfless acts that have become a trademark of his team. They got more joy out of giving than taking. And what about Matthew Scarlett's composure in defence? For a period in the first half, Harry Taylor and Josh Hunt were all at sea. Scarlett in his no-nonsense way settled the ship.

The grunt of Selwood, Bartel, James Kelly and Cameron Ling in the 10 minutes before half-time was crucial. The Magpies were up and firing and set to take a big lead into half-time. But the Cats midfielders stuck fat. They willed themselves to get their hands on the ball at stoppages and bashed and crashed the ball forward any way they could. It was ugly but effective to set up two vital goals before the major break.

The captain's effort on the Brownlow medallist was superb. He cut Dane Swan's possessions in half and kept him goalless. The coach made the right moves. He was decisive in subbing James Podsiadly out immediately when he was injured and activating the lively Mitch Duncan. Many others would have waited. With Cloke on top, he switched his defenders. Tom Lonergan put an end to Cloke's effectiveness and Taylor was freed up to take telling marks in the second half. The coach kept Stevie J close to goal, for a four-goal return. Three years ago in the big one, Stevie went walkabout and got completely lost. With ''Pod'' gone for the day, Bartel was pushed forward, because for his age there are few better marks in the game. He duly delivered with three goals.

Had ''Bomber'' Thompson stayed at Geelong, they wouldn't have made the grand final. Chris Scott not only got the Cats into the big one, his match day moves ensured they won it.

It was nice to see Tom Hawkins arrive as a player. Three third-quarter goals, a gift to Stevie in the final term and the most contested marks of anyone. You delivered when it mattered most, young man. Walk tall, feel good. you have earnt it.

And what of the Pies? They punted and lost on the fitness of Ben Reid and Darren Jolly. Their last month was unconvincing with battling finals over West Coast and Hawthorn.

Loading

The lead into September preparation of Maxwell, Shaw, Thomas, Dawes and Didak was far from ideal. It has been four months since Didak kicked a goal.

Collingwood supporters should be encouraged by what Scott has done at Geelong. It can happen at Collingwood. So at season's end, the Pies can't complain. They played the Cats three times and lost all three. For Geelong, it's the Cats' whiskers. Had the Cats won only two of these three encounters, poor old Meatloaf would have said ''two out of three ain't bad''. But having won three, the late Bobby David surely would have said ''it's fair dinkum unbelievable''.